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Friday, February 18, 2011

Sundram: Mine was harder (TNP Feb 16)

But former Lions star admits that Rooney's bicycle kick was on a completely different levelBy Dilenjit SinghFebruary 16, 2011

MORE than any of the skilful moves he was renowned for, it is the one enduring memory fans have of the player they dubbed The Dazzler.

That V Sundramoorthy bicycle-kick goal against Brunei in 1993 during a Division Two Semi-Pro League match at the National Stadium. (the match finished 8-0 to Sgp and Sundram's BICYCLE KICK was i believed the last goal of the game)

It's a memory that has been recently re-invoked by Wayne Rooney's winning strike in Saturday's Manchester Derby.

That definitely was the case for the patrons at the Dog and Bone Pub where he watched the match, who told him as much after the goal.

But which goal is better?

Sundram refused to be drawn into picking a winner in this epic overhead kick face-off, but did suggest to The New Paper that his goal was more difficult to execute.

Said the 45-year-old: 'They are both good goals, but it's not for me to say which is better.

'Rooney's was a great goal, scored at a completely different level.

'In front of a full crowd, in a tied Derby match, with all the pressure he's been under, he changed the game in a split second.

Different

'Compared to mine they are different deliveries - his was executed from the side which, technique wise, is easier than when your back is facing goal (like against Brunei).

'When your back's to goal you can't really direct the ball, you just have to get it on target and hope it's powerful enough to beat the goalkeeper.'

Sundram's observations on the differences in technical difficulty of the two goals is further enforced by the fact that unlike the Manchester United man who seemed to connect with the ball with his shin, the Dazzler's hit the ball clean and true with his instep.

The Dazzler added that unlike Rooney who seemed, by his arms outstretched ta-dah celebration, to understand the magnitude of what he had just accomplished, the 45-year-old didn't know how good his goal was until he saw it on television later.

'When you do an overhead kick like mine you can't see the flight of the ball at all, I only knew it was a goal when I saw Malek (Awab) celebrating.

'You can't tell from the crowd's reaction because their shouts could mean it was just a good shot.

'So I celebrated it like a normal goal, it didn't occur to me how good it was until I saw it being replayed on TV numerous times afterwards.

'Rooney was sideways when he shot, and that's why he knew how good his goal was - you can see it in his celebration.'